Blue Moon
by Golden-Skies-Of-Tulsa
Summary: Ruth has always been a good girl, but one drunken night with hoodlum Dallas Winston leaves the two of them with a problem that neither of them are sure how to handle. They don't trust each other and it's going to take a lot for the two to realize what it means to be parents, but with the help of the gang they might just succeed. After all, it takes a village to raise a child.
1. Chapter 1

I stand there with my knuckles barely touching the wood of Buck Merril's roadhouse. I couldn't figure if I should knock when there isn't a party going on or if I can still just walk straight in. I suck on my bottom lip for a few seconds before deciding to just push the door open. The place is deserted and smells like old cigarettes and spilt beer. Buck is behind his bar, knocking empty beer bottles into his trash can. He looks up at me briefly but doesn't seem angry at me for just walking into his place.

"I ain't got no more rooms to rent out," he explains to me before spitting out some of his tobacco into an old browning vase. I try not to gag at the sight, but my stomach is in knots.

"I'm not looking for a room. I just need to see Dallas," I say looking down at my old worn out shoes. "Do you know if he's still here?"

"Should be, he's in the room –," Buck starts to explain and I nod.

"I know what room he's in. Thanks Buck," I say before slowly ascending the stairs to what I assume to be one of the worst moments of my life.

When I had first Dallas Winston three months ago at one of Buck's parties I hadn't assumed that I would end up in his bed. He was a real sweet talker though and was able to get drink after drink into my system before successfully bringing me up the stairs to his little room. If I had been sober I would have never slept with Dallas Winston because he's a no good hood and I just can't see anything appealing in his devilish smirks and smoldering eyes. When I'm it's a completely different story and I willing gave everything to Dallas because why the hell now. Now I deeply regret letting any of that cheap liquor touch my lips and I know Dallas was going to as well.

I knock on his door, knowing that if I just walked in I would only piss him off. When he doesn't answer or holler for me to come inside I knock continuously until someone grumbles inaudibly and opens the door for. I'm not surprised to see Dallas' long time on and off again girl Sylvia open the door, but this make anything I'm about to do any easier for me. She stares at me and rubs her eyes, smearing her black eyeliner even more.

"What?" Sylvia snaps and I start to suck on my bottom lip again.

"Is Dallas here?" I whisper and Sylvia leans towards me.

"What?" She asks impatiently and I take a deep breath knowing that right now is no time to be weak.

"I need to see Dallas," I say and Sylvia looks me up and down slowly. I'm suddenly very aware of how small I am compared to her, not only height wise but also asset wise. I'm petite, but Sylvia makes me look like an adolescent that hasn't hit puberty yet.

Sylvia looks over her shoulder and from the space between her arm and her torso I see Dallas still sound asleep on the bed, a dirty white sheet barely covering the parts of him that I never want to see again. "He's sleeping. What do you want?"

"I need to speak with Dallas; can you wake him for me?" I ask and Sylvia looks at me like I have just fallen out of the sky.

"I can't wake him for you are you absolutely insane?" She says and Dallas stirs behind her.

"No," I say and Sylvia just shakes her head at me.

"What are you even doing over here, a nice girl like you wanting to talk to a boy like Dallas Winston?" She reaches for a cigarette off the small end table to the side of her. She lights it up and then blows the smoke in my face, "You slept with him didn't you?"

I'm so caught off guard that I automatically shake my head no. "S'okay if you did. I ain't mad, but if you're here thinking that Dallas Winston is going to want anything to do with you, think again. Why would he waste his time?" She says and I can feel my vomit rising in my throat.

"Now why don't you just go on home little girl and let the adults play?" Sylvia begins to shoo me away but her cigarette smoke makes my nausea worse. I see the bathroom in Dallas' room behind her and push her aside. She swears at me and tries to grab me by my hair, but I have the door shut tight behind me before she can do anything else.

I vomit straight into the toilet. The small breakfast I had this morning is all gone now. Sylvia pounds on the door yelling at me to get the hell out. She must wake up Dallas because soon both of them are fighting with each other and the door slams shut.

"Stupid whore," Dallas mutters before knocking on the bathroom door. "Alright, why are you my bathroom?" He calls as I'm rinsing my mouth out with water from the sink.

He knocks again and this time I answer it. He's caught off guard by me, but doesn't say anything just stares. "I need to talk to you." I state and he lifts a brow.

"Well you sure got my full attention Dollface," Dallas says as he licks his lips. His eyes trail my body for a few long seconds and I can see the hint of recognition in his eyes. "Ruth," he says before leaning back in his bed.

"Yeah," I say slightly surprised that he remembers. We both had been so shitfaced that night that I'm surprised I even told him the right name. "Dallas I need you something and I really don't want you to start yelling at me."

"I don't make promises Dollface," Dallas tells me and I look down at my shoes. The nausea is starting to come back, but I have to tell him. "Are you just going to stand there and waste my time?"

"Dallas I'm pregnant," I spit out before he can even finish his last sentence. He stares at me dumbfounded and I say it again but slower this time. "Dallas, I'm pregnant."

"It ain't mine." He stands up and grabs me by the wrist, pulling me towards the door that leads out of his bedroom.

"Yes it is Dallas. You are the last person I slept with in the past three months," I explain to him already humiliated because Sylvia is standing on the other side of the door with a half-eaten apple in her hand.

"I used a condom," he spits and I feel like everything is just going to kill me completely.

"Condoms break," my voice cracks a little and Sylvia slides her hands around Dallas causing me to look away from them.

"Look," I say just barely glancing up to meet his eyes. "I don't want you're help with anything. I just figured you had a right to know."

"Oh look she's crying," Sylvia says with a fake pout, completely unaware of what Dallas and I are talking about.

I do start crying then and I back away from them quickly. "I'm sorry if I ruined your morning Dallas, but you kind of ruined my life." The tears really start flowing then and I take off down the stairs taking two almost three steps at a time.

When I get outside I gulp a breath of fresh air and try to calm myself down. I really just wanted Dallas to know. I didn't go in there thinking that he was going to be some hero and want to play house with me. In fact I don't really want him in the picture at all. He's done enough damage to me and I wasn't about to let him be an even bigger disappointment to my child.

My hands cup over my stomach and I decide to just walk home because I'm scared if I take the bus now I'll just end up getting sick again.

I have a lot of things to figure out, but the biggest problem is where I'm going to live exactly because honestly the second I tell my mom about my predicament she's going to throw me out so fast I won't even have time breathe. My mom has never liked me and now I'll really give her a reason to finally get rid of my once and for all. I start crying again, pressing the palm of my hands to my eyes in an attempt to get the tears to stop.

I also need to find a job, figure out a way to finish school, and now learn about raising a kid. I feel like I'm off to a great start already. No daddy, no home, and I'm seventeen. I'm almost as good as my own mother, the only thing I need to do know is start knocking my kid around. The thought is cringe worthy and I'm sorry that I even let it slip through my mind. I'll never be like my mom. I'll die before I'm like her.

The distinct engine of a t-bird behind causes me to stiffen. I fold my arms over my chest and pick my head up so that I look somewhat taller than I really am. I pray to God that it's anything but a car of Socs. Being somewhat brave I glance over my shoulder to find Dallas Winston behind the wheel and I mutter a small thank god because I'm pretty sure this will be the only moment I'll be happy to see Dallas Winston.

"You scared me something awful," I tell him over the roar of the engine and he slowly pulls the car up next to me.

"Get in the car," he says but I shake my head continuing to walk away from him. He keeps the car at the same speed as my strides and I become a little annoyed.

"Dallas I already said that I don't want you're help with any of this," I remind him and he opens the car door for me from the inside.

"Just get in the car. I just want to talk," he tells me and I sigh slowly sliding into the seat.

We sit in silence for a few moments and finally he says, "I don't run away from my problems."

"What does that mean?" I ask him and he clutches the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles beginning to turn white.

"It means that I'm not just going to leave you and the kid out to dry." He explains and shake my head.

"Dallas being a dad means that you can't be wild and reckless. You can't just go to jail for a week and then expect to be welcomed back into my child's life with open arms," I say somewhat angrily. "If you want to be in this child's life you have to earn it."

"So you're not going to let me see the kid at all?" He asks and I shrug my shoulders.

"I guess I'll only let you see him or her until you clean your act up. Until then Dallas, I don't think you have any great potential of being a father." I don't mean my words to offend him, but I can tell they do because he swears a few times under his breath.

I begin to climb back out of the car, knowing that this conversation is over. "Where are you going?" He asks and I stare at him.

"What do you mean?" I ask him and he just lifts his brows in response.

"I'm going to drive you home," he says and while it's a itty bitty step in the right direction. I'm glad he offered because I really don't want to run into Socs on the street.

"I live on Mountgomery," I tell him and he nods,

"I know, Steve's your neighbor," he tells me before pulling the car back onto the street. So Dallas Winston has noticed me way before an of this. I don't know if the thought is comforting or not.

When he pulls in front of my house the only thing he says to me before he gets out of the car is, "I'm not going to be anything like my old man."


	2. Chapter 2

I made out a plan for myself last night. The first thing on that list was finding a stable place to live. I had only one place in mind and that was my Great-Aunt Judy's house or Aunt Jude to her face. She's my dad's aunt and he lived at her house until he left. She's the only real family that I have. For holidays and for my birthday she's always giving me gifts and making sure my mom doesn't hurt me too bad. She's strict and a little grouchy, but she's full of love if you catch her at the right time.

She lives over on Grace Street in a small little house at the end of the block. I loved her house because it has tons of flowers and big wide porch swing. She's a retired nurse and spends most of her time outside so she sees me before I'm even at her gate.

"Hello Ruth," she calls from her spot in the yard. Her arms are covered with dirt and it looks like she's pulling out some old dried up lavender that must have died in the Tulsa sun.

"Hi Aunt Jude, sorry I didn't call," I say quickly and she makes a face at me.

"You never have to call when you come here you know that." She says as she goes back to pulling up the dried up plants. "Well are you just there?" She asks when I don't walk through the gate and I smile sheepishly.

The garden smells real nice and I sit on the porch swing and watch her. "What happened to that lavender?"

"Oh the damn sun dried it up," she says as she tilts her summer hat back so that she can get a good look at me. "What brings you by?"

"Um – well," I start because I don't really know how to tell her that I'm pregnant.

"Ruth I know for a fact that you can talk way better than that," Aunt Jude snaps and I sigh. "Now you better tell me what's wrong."

"I'm pregnant," I spit out and Aunt Jude stares at me. Her dark blue eyes barreling into mine and I feel like all hell's about to hit.

"You're pregnant," she repeats.

"Yes ma'am." I say nodding my head. I really want to look down at my shoes, but I know that it will only make her angrier. "I wasn't thinking," I tell her quickly knowing that it's a rotten excuse, but I didn't have anything else to say.

"Obviously not," Aunt Jude says evenly before standing up and coming to sit next to me on the porch swing. "What does this mean for you?"

"It means I'm going to be just like my mom," my voice is so helpless and small that I have to look away from Aunt Jude in fear I might cry.

"It doesn't have to mean that," Aunt Jude says as she puts a careful hand on my knee. "Baby girl you have so much potential. Don't let anything ever make you think any less of yourself."

"I'm pregnant Aunt Jude," I point to my stomach. "This as low as it can possibly get for a girl like me. There isn't a good future here anymore."

"Oh for heaven's sake," she says with a slight eye roll. "You are nothing like your Ma was at this age, believe me. You can do this, with a strong head and good support system you can do this. You can finish school and work and raise a decent human being because you have the drive for it."

"You really think so?" I ask and Aunt Jude squeezes my knee affectionately.

"Do I ever lie to you?" She asks and I smile.

"No ma'am," I say shaking my head and she sighs.

"I am disappointed in you Ruth," she tells me and I nod my head knowing that it is perfectly fair to be disappointed. "But I'm always going to be right here to support you."

"I love you," I tell her and Aunt Jude winks.

"So what can I do to help you?" She asks and I kick my feet back and forth causing the porch swing to sway a little.

"Mom's going to kick me out when I tell her or worse," I say and Aunt Jude lifts her hand up.

"Well I have an extra room you know that, but there are rules that you're going to have to follow," She tell me but I'm not surprised.

"If you're going to live here you to work and go to school. I don't care if school is independent studies or what, you just have to be learning something. For the job it can be part-time or weekend's as long as you're making your own money. I won't make you pay rent, but you will have to do household chores and I'm not free childcare. If you need me to watch the baby I'll do it if you give me a five day heads up and you pay me for my time." Aunt Jude says but she has that warm look in her eyes that lets me know that as long as I'm doing my best she'll help me out as much as I can.

"Sounds like a fair enough deal," I say and then I lick my lips knowing that I'll have to bring up Dallas. She'll know all about him, everyone on this side of town knows about his record.

"Dallas Winston's the father," I tell her and my Aunt shrugs her skinny shoulders.

"Baby girl I don't care about that. He's either going to be the biggest screw-up like your own father and miss out on the greatest thing that you can ever give him or he's going to be one hell of a surprise. Either way, he is welcome here as long as it is to help you." She tells me and I bury my face into my hands and start crying.

It catches Aunt Jude off guard but soon I'm pulled into her loving embrace and we just sit there on her porch swing together. She holds me and just lets me cry because honestly she took the biggest weight off my shoulders. As long as I have my Aunt Jude I know I'm safe. She is the only mother figure I could ever want and need in life.

"I think you and Dallas need to be the ones to tell your Ma," she says to me once I calmed down.

"He's not going to want to do that," I sniffle and she sighs pulling me away from her so that our blue eyes can meet.

"You'll never know if he's going to be a good father unless you give him the chance. It's okay to let him in occasionally and this is something I think he needs to be around for," Aunt Jude tells me and I sigh.

"I guess there's no harm in asking him," I say even though it feels incredibly ridiculous to even say those words.

* * *

It's generally easy finding Dallas Winston during the day. He's always at the DX around this time since his buddies work there and it's easy to "hunt action" where the girls flock. This is where I had first saw Dallas Winston. I had come here with my friend and remember seeing him with his dangerous smile and stormy eyes and thinking that he was not a boy I wanted to be caught in the crossfire with.

He didn't say anything to me except watch me for a moment as I talked to my neighbor Steve. Steve and I were acquaintances at the least and I could never believe how I nice boy like him could hang out with a stupid boy like Dallas Winston. I guess I'm the stupid one now.

As I walk into the DX station now Dallas is again the first thing I see. He's leaning against the wall talking to a smallish kid with large black eyes. When Dallas sees me his jaw locks for a brief moment.

"Hey Dallas," I say when I get closer. Approaching him is like approaching a wild animal. I never know what to expect.

"Dollface," he says and I roll my eyes at him.

"I need your help with a few things," I tell him and he glances at his friend.

"Johnny man, can you uh – can you give us a minute?" He asks in a generally nice tone and I'm surprised.

"Sure thing Dal," Johnny says as he walks into the garage to join Steve who's bent over a car.

Dallas and I stare at each other for a moment before he lights up the cigarette that had been resting behind his ear. "So what's the problem?"

"Well my Aunt Jude made me a doctor's appointment to make sure everything's running smoothly but I have no way to actually pay for it right now and the other thing is that I want you at the house when I tell my mom about out rather large issue," I explain to him and he blows the smoke out into the air in front of him.

"When's the appointment?" He asks and I scoff my shoes against the payment feeling weird asking him for money.

"Next Tuesday, so it's a week so I might have enough time to scrounge up some money," I say but Dallas shakes his head.

"I make sure you have enough. I got to jockey for Buck at the rodeo this weekend so don't worry about it." He tells me and I sigh, looking at him a bit of a new light. If there's one thing for sure about him it's that he does in fact take care of people when he has to. "Just don't go making this a regular thing, Dollface. I still got to pay my rent and stuff."

"Done deal," I say because I had already been looking through the help wanted ads in the paper anyways. "Now about my mom. Are you busy tonight?"

"I was, but I guess I can change my plans around." He says like it's the biggest problem he's ever faced. I roll my eyes and he chuckles at me just a tad.

"Thanks Dallas," I say even though it physical pains to thank him for anything.

He smirks and takes a drag from his cigarette, "You owe me." He says coolly and I lift a brow.

"I owe you?" I ask before a bitter laugh escapes my lips. "Dallas you knocked me up."

"It's not like you didn't stop me Dollface," he says and my jaw locks.

"You are the single most infuriating person on this planet," I tell him annoyed because he was able to ruffle my feathers again.

He doesn't say anything, just stands there and stares and I bite hard on my bottom lip. "God I'll see at my house at seven o'clock. On the dot."

"Yeah, yeah," he says barely paying any attention to me now. His eyes are over my head on the black dodge charger that has pulled up behind me.

The entire atmosphere of the DX changes and I watch as Dallas' friends start to walk out of the garage coolly. Dallas pops the collar of his jacket up and I slowly move to the side of him. Tim Shepard and a bunch of his goons get out the car and I know that this is not a place I want to be right now.

"I've been looking for you," Tim says to Dallas.

Dallas glances at me for a second before nodding his head over to his friends. I eye Tim Shepard coolly for a brief moment and Dallas smirks at me. I had picked up a real bitchy look from my mom and it worked well whenever people were giving me hard time. I walk over to Dallas' friends and sit there next to the youngest one on a stool. I wasn't done talking to Dallas just yet and I sure as well wasn't leaving when I knew Tim Shepard was about to pick a fight.

"Who are you?" The young boy sitting next to me asks and I pull my eyes away from Dallas briefly.

"Oh I'm Ruth," I tell him and the boy nods.

"You friends with Dally?" He asks and I bite my lip.

"Something like that," I tell him not really wanting to let anyone know that I'm pregnant just yet. "Are you friends with Dallas?"

"Yeah," he tells me before sipping on a Pepsi. "I'm Ponyboy by the way," he says and I watch as his cheeks flush in embarrassment when he mentions his name.

"It's nice to meet you Ponyboy," I tell him before looking back at Dallas. "What's the deal with Dallas and Tim?" I ask and watching their body language. They're just talking, very tensely, but no one's thrown a punch yet so I guess that's good.

"They're always doing something to piss the other off," Ponyboy says but he stands up quickly because all of a sudden Dallas and Tim Shepard are toe to toe, in each other's face.

"Oh good Lord," I say waiting for Dallas to make the first swing, but he doesn't. He doesn't even look like he's egging Tim on.

Tim grabs Dallas by the collar of his coat and says something like a warning and then let's Dallas go. I lick my lips and stare at Tim Shepard when he eyes the rest of Dallas' friends in the garage. The Shepard Gang leaves as quickly as they arrived and Dallas' friends relax.

Dallas walks back inside and shake my head at him, looking down at my shoes and then standing up. The boy with the sideburns sees me and makes a face.

"And who might this be?" He asks as he circles around me. My cheeks flush and I look at Dallas but he's too busy enjoying my embarrassment to help me.

"I'm Ruth," I say stupidly and the boy nods his head.

"I'm Two-Bit," he says and I nod my head. I had met him at school a few times but I remember thinking that he's too loud to actually try to pursue. He's good-looking sure, but I can only handle so much talking.

I try to sidestep around him but he seems dead bent on embarrassing me. "Excuse me," I say and he grins.

"What's a good girl like you talking to Ol' Dally for?" he asks and when I don't say anything he looks at Dallas. "Well Dal?"

Dallas stares at the two of us for a moment and I plead with him not to say anything. His smirk grows dangerously and I don't hold my breath because I already know what he's going to say. "I knocked her up." His voice is dead even and Two-Bit steps away from me. The boy had wanted to ruffle my feathers not mortify me in front of everyone in the garage.

"Dallas," my voice cracks and I can't believe I'm about to cry in front of a bunch of hoods.

"Dollface," he says and I shake my head looking down at my feet.

"Excuse me," I say to Two-Bit again and this time he lets me through. The tears start flowing before I even get out of the garage. I hate Dallas Winston for the sole reason that he gets under my skin like this.

I shouldn't have been embarrassed. I should've owned my pregnancy because if I keep acting weak around Dallas he's going to keep making fun of me for it. For Dallas my pregnancy wasn't a big deal because he could walk away from it at any moment. He doesn't have to be a father. He doesn't even have to let people know that he knocked me up. I was the one that would have to walk around with a giant stomach. A stamp for people to openly judge me on my actions. My pregnancy would become my identity and for Dallas it was just a little bump in his life. He could get over it and I could not.

I don't expect Dallas to follow me with an apology on his lips and he doesn't. I walk all the way home in tears and self-pity while he probably sits back at the DX laughing with his friends about how pathetic I am. My mom's home and I really wish she wasn't. She would probably pick up on my bruised ego and add to it. I feel like I'm going to be sick and I really wish I didn't get morning sickness throughout the entire day. My stress no doubt added to it, but it always feels like I'm going to throw or I'm worried about throwing up.

Pregnancy is ugly and I don't know what women rave about it as a miracle. Sure it's pretty cool that I have my child growing inside of me, but it's pretty fucking terrible what my body has to go through to take care of him or her.

Him or her is also another strange thing to think about. I already know how much my child is going to look like Dallas because his traits dominate mine. He has the dark hair and the dark eyes, while my eyes were blue and my hair was a dingy blonde color. It wouldn't be bad if my child looked like him, because he is a good looking man, but I just don't want him or her to act like Dallas. I want them to have a good head on their shoulders and I want them to know how much I love them even if Dallas is a shitty dad and my mom is an even shittier grandmother. I want my child to feel loved and I want to make sure that they know I'm always on their side. I want to give him or her the childhood I never had.

Hank pulls up in his ugly little chevy truck and I look away from him quickly. I've gotten real good at hiding my baby bump with my arms as casually as possible. He looks at me as he walks by into the house but doesn't say hello and I don't either. That's the kind of relationship we have. As long as we ignored each other we got along just fine.

Dallas has three hours until her gets here, but to be honest I really don't care if he comes or not, I don't care if he pays for the doctor's appointment, and I sure as hell don't care if I never ever see him again. The fact of the matter is that I would just have to learn to get along without Dallas Winston helping me with anything. The only person I will ever need to depend on is myself and I would have to learn how to do that better.

* * *

Hank answers the door when Dallas rings the bell and I'm surprised he even showed up. I can see Dallas' face change into something of disgust when he sees my stepfather and I'm glad that we can agree on something. Hank looks Dallas up and down in an attempt to seem tough and while that look may have worked when Hank was our age it sure doesn't faze either Dallas or me now.

"Can I help you with something?" Hank belches and I suck on my bottom lip embarrassed that this is what Dallas gets to meet.

"I'm here to see Ruth," Dallas tells him but his eyes are focused on me in the background.

"Ruth," Hank yells without bothering to see that I'm behind him.

"Hank stop shoutin!" my mom yells from the den where she's watching her show and I roll my eyes with Hank calls her a bitch under his breath.

"Dollface," Dallas says and push the screen open so that I can stand on the porch with him.

"Asshole," I say with an equally charming voice and Dallas smirks.

"So let's get this over with huh?" He asks and I put a hand on his chest as he tries to push past me.

"Not so fast," I say and Dallas rolls his eyes. "I'm going to tell them. You're just here incase my mom or Hank decide to get physical."

"They hit before?" He asks. His voice is suddenly very serious and I look away from him.

"It doesn't matter now. I have all my stuff packed in my room and after we tell them we're going to move all my stuff to my Aunt Jude's house." I say and Dallas nods.

"That's it?" He asks and I nod my head.

"Yeah and then you're free to go to Buck's and do whoever you want," I say and Dallas chuckles.

"Glad to know that this little issue doesn't make us a couple," he says and I smile somewhat at him.

"Of course it doesn't. I actually want to date you less now," I tell him and Dallas chuckles holding open the screen door for me.

My mom and Hank are bickering in the living room, barely paying attention to what's on the television or to us. I stand there awkwardly in front of Dallas and wonder if this is what my future is going to look like. I shake the image out of my mind and clear my throat. They don't hear me and I roll my eyes.

"Mom," I say and the sound of my voice causes her to snap a look at me.

"What?" She asks bored and I lick my lips.

"Can we talk to you and Hank?" I ask and my mom sits up straighter. She eyes Dallas Winston and I wonder if he brings back any memories of my dad for her. From what I heard my dad had been a real hard-ass in his time too.

"Is this the boy you're going to run away with? Because if he is I'm going to tell you can do far better," she says and I shake my head not really sure what's she's talking about. "I know you packed up all your shit in your room."

"Why were you in my room?" I ask and Hank lifts a brow.

"It's our house," he says and I stare at him.

"It's my mom's house," I tell him before looking back at my mom. "I actually have to something else to tell you."

"Really?" She asks and I nod, strategically moving my arms in front of my stomach again. "Just what do you need to tell me what's so damn important?"

"I'm pregnant," I spit out knowing that it's either just to say things instead of beating around the bush.

"What?" She hisses and I take a step closer to Dallas. "You're pregnant?"

"Yes ma'am," I say looking down because my mom scares me more than anything in this entire world.

"Oh that's real rich." She says standing up. Hank doesn't move, like usual. He just likes to hear me get yelled at. "I'm not raising it!"

"I was never going to ask you to." I say and she rolls her eyes.

"So what are you and this boy going to do?" She asks and Dallas tenses up.

"I'm going to move in with Aunt Jude," I say and my mom laughs shrilly. "And then Dallas and I will figure the rest of it out."

"Dallas and you?" She says as she lights a cigarette and blows the smoke over to us. "There is no Dallas and you. It's just going to be you. That boy is going to get the hell out of here as fast as he can."

When I don't say anything she continues, "You think anyone's going to want anything to do with you after this? You're going to be all alone little girl and if I know you like I think I do it's not going to be long before you come crawling back here asking Hank and I to take care of the little bastard you gave birth to."

"You obviously don't know a thing about me then," I tell her and she lifts her brows. "Because I can promise you one thing and that's I will never ask you for anything for the rest of my life. I would rather live in a cardboard box then torture myself and my child in this hell hole for a minute longer."

"You think you're so much better than me." She says walking over to Dallas and me but I don't flinch away. She grabs my arm and places her cigarette to my skin before Dallas and I even have a chance to stop her.

I yelp in pain and Dallas quickly intervenes. He catches my mom's arm and pushes me back behind him. His entire body blocks me from my mom's view and I'm glad. She rips his arm away from him and I tug Dallas back by his jacket.

"Let's just go get my stuff and leave," I say but I know Dallas would never hit my mom. My step-father on the other hand was another story. That is if Hank could ever get off the couch.

"Come on Dallas," I plead with him again and he obliges, moving his feet backwards as I pull him up the stairs.

I've managed to pack all of my things into two medium sized boxes. I could do without the things I didn't pack, they were just silly things like old school supplies and clothes that didn't fit anymore.

"She didn't hurt you too bad?" Dallas asks as he surveys my bedroom. It's pink and frilly and I wish he would make fun of me for it instead of asking me if my arm hurt.

I pull up my sleeve to show him all the scars from past cigarette burns. "Doesn't hurt as bad as you would think," I tell him and Dallas examines my arm.

"I don't remember any of these from that night," Dallas tells me and I swallow the lump in my throat.

"I don't remember anything from that night," I tell him truthfully and Dallas smirks.

He pinches my side and I squirm away from him. He must have figured out how ticklish I really am. "Don't do that," I tell him as I pick up the lighter box.

Dallas and I hurry down the stairs and we find my mom and Hank waiting for us on the porch. I breeze pass them to the T-bird but Dallas mutters something under his breath. We pack the boxes nicely into the car and are about to climb in ourselves when Hanks says to my mom quite loudly, "We've should have known your daughter would end up a whore."

Dallas stiffens and stops climbing into the drivers seat. "Dallas," I say and he looks at me.

"Stay in the car," he says as he climbs back out and slams the door.

"Dallas," I say again but he's already storming up the porch to my stepfather.

Hank rolls his eyes and acts tougher than I know he is. Dallas warns him to never talk about me like that again and Hank throws a punch, Dallas dodges it easily and I realize that Dallas never swings first. Dallas throws a punch back and hits Hank right in the nose and I'm sure he breaks it. My mom screams and Dallas walks back down the porch like nothing happened. I try not to act like I'm impressed but I am indeed impressed because no one has ever stood up for me against my parents.

"Why did you do that Dallas?" I ask as he starts the car and pulls it out into the street.

"Do what?" He asks and I roll my eyes. "Where does your Aunt live?"

"Grace Street." I tell him and he nods.

It takes us about fifteen minutes to get to the little house with the large garden. Aunt Jude is sitting on the porch drinking iced tea and waiting for us. She waves when she sees me in the front seat and I return it halfheartedly.

"There's my girl," Aunt Jude says and I smile, finally feeling really safe.

"Hi Aunt Jude," I say before nodding my head to Dallas who's already unloading the two boxes. "This is Dallas."

"Dallas," Aunt Jude says and he nods his head bringing the two boxes up to the porch. "Just put them in the den. We'll get them later."

I sit next to Aunt Jude and she puts a tender hand on my knee. "He's real handsome," she tells me and roll my eyes.

"Don't let him hear you say that." I say and Aunt Jude chuckles.

"You can tell he's not the softest person though," she adds and I nod in agreement.

"He punched Hank, so what does that tell you," I tell her and before Aunt Jude can gasp in surprise Dallas chimes in.

"He called your niece a whore," he says and Aunt Jude lips purse.

"Then I would've punched him too." She says and I look at Dallas' bruising knuckles.

"Do you want ice for that?" I ask and Dallas stares at me. "Never mind," I say and Dallas licks his lips.

"I'll see you next Tuesday Dollface." He tells me and I nod. Knowing full well that he's going to Buck's to probably be with Sylvia and I have to act like this doesn't bother me at all.


	3. Chapter 3

**The views in this chapter do not reflect my own. I respect anyone that makes the choice to do whatever they want with their body. The time period in which this chapter is set had a different view.**

* * *

The ol'T-bird that Dallas borrows or at least I think he borrows from Buck's sits rumbling in Aunt Jude's driveway. He honks the horn obnoxiously three-times and I roll my eyes wondering why he couldn't just walk up to the door like a normal person would. Aunt Jude is busying herself by watering her house plants and I watch her for a few seconds. Dallas could wait a few more minutes.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me Aunt Jude?" I ask and she looks up from her ficus plant and with raised brows.

"Being a parent means that you have to be independent and how are you going to learn to be independent if I'm holding your hand through everything?" She asks and I scoff my shoes against her carpet.

"Well someone has to," I mutter and she gives me a pointed look.

Dallas honks again and she looks out the living room window at him. "That's the whole reason you asked him to go," she says. "He can hold your hand."

"Dallas Winston doesn't hold hands," I say grabbing my purse.

Aunt Jude catches my eye again and I stare at her. "Dallas Winston is going to have to learn isn't he?" She asks and I sigh.

"I guess so," I grumble pushing open the screen door. "I'll see you later."

"Goodbye," she calls as she follows me out. I catch her waving to Dallas who returns her greeting with a curt head nod.

"Finally," he pulls the car out the driveway once I've barely shut my door. "What'd you take your sweet time comin' out here for?"

"Good to see you too," I snap and Dallas glances over at me. I notice that the stupid ring on his finger is gone and I'm sure I know just which broad is wearing it.

"Hello Dollface," his voice laced with sarcasm. "How come it took you so long to come out here?"

"I'm nervous," I tell him and Dallas rolls his eyes at my feeble excuse. Truth be told I was just really regretting asking him to come with me. Especially now that I could see that his ring is gone.

"What does she think about all of this?" I ask after a few moments of silence. Dallas looks at me confused and I nod to the hand where the ring should be. "Sylvia," I say.

"She don't really care as long as I'm screwing her and not you," Dallas tells me and my cheeks heat up with a blush.

"Oh," is the only thing I'm able to mutter out and we go back to the uncomfortable silence between us.

What I noticed with Dallas is that we got a long somewhat when we weren't directly dealing with the pregnancy. Telling my mom had been an adrenaline kick for him. Telling his friends had just been a way to embarrass me. Now that we were actually dealing with the pregnancy head on it's a strange feeling being in the car with him. Out of all the boys that I could've picked that night at Buck's I chose Dallas. It could be worse. I could've picked someone like Tim Shepard or one of the other gang leaders, but I picked Dallas. The idea that we created something together is enough to make my stomach twist just a bit.

"You ever been to this doctor before?" Dallas asks as he parks the car.

"I've never been pregnant before, so no." I say to him and glances at me. "Have you?"

"I've never knocked up a chick before," he says before smirking at me, "so no."

"We're just full of first together ain't we?" I ask sarcastically and Dallas just stares as I get out of the car.

"I guess so Dollface," he follows right behind me and I'm suddenly very aware of how tall he is compared to me.

The doctor's office is clean and a mint green color. It makes my stomach hurt and Dallas doesn't seem to be too big on the whole interior design either. He's staring quizzically at the posters that explain the pregnancy process that lines the walls. He looks at them and then at me and then back at the posters again. "Three months?" He questions and I nod.

"Three months," I repeat before going over to the station to check in. The nurse has curly red hair that frizzes out at the bottom because she's teased it too much.

The nurse snaps her gum and smiles real friendly at me and Dallas. I return the grin halfheartedly and Dallas just stares. He's absent mindedly playing with the Christopher's medal that's hanging out his neck. I can tell he's just itching for a cigarette.

"What can I do for you?" Her voice is real chipper.

"I have an appointment with Dr. Opal and I'm just here to check in." I explain. My voice is barely just above a whisper and Dallas rolls his eyes.

"Not a time to be modest Dollface," he tells me and I nudge him in the ribs with my elbow.

"You must be Ruth," the nurse says and I nod. She begins to collect a ton of papers and puts them all on a clipboard for me. "I need you to fill these papers out and then return it here to me."

"Alright," I say taking the pen and clipboard from her hands.

"How long is all of this going to take?" Dallas questions and the flush in my cheeks flare up again.

"Not too long dear," the nurse explains with a quick wink to me.

I sit in the back corner far away as I can from the other expected mothers and their significant others. I don't even think Dallas really counts as a significant other to me. He plops down in the seat next to me and stretches his legs out. The other women are all staring at us and I try not to act like I care but I'm really feeling self-conscious and I guess it's quite noticeable because Dallas throws a wink and licks his lips at them. They all look away from him and I glance at Dallas for a brief moment.

"What?" He asks and I shake my head at him feeling the small smirk form on my lips.

"Nothing." I tell him before going back to filling out the paperwork. There's a lot but it doesn't take as long as I initially figured it would. Dallas rhythmically taps the arm of my chair and I watch him from the corner of my eye. He's still itching for a cigarette but he isn't as tense as he was when we first walked in.

There are a few Greaser's here, but all of them are considerably older than us. One of those Greaser men has lit a cigarette and the smoke makes my stomach churn. "Can I bum one of those off ya?" Dallas asks the man and he nods handing Dallas a cigarette.

He lights it up real smooth and quick, but it's enough to make me really sick. I hold my breath and sign my name at the end of the paperwork and stand up far too quickly. Dallas catches my arm when I stumble and I shrug him off because I know I'm going to be sick right here in the middle of the room if I don't hurry up and get to a bathroom.

The nurse smiles at me as I place the clipboard back down on her desk, but she must know something's wrong because points down the hallway and says, "Bathroom's on your left."

I nod and hurry on through leaving Dallas alone in the waiting room. I really hope he puts that cigarette out because I don't know if I'm going to be able to sit next to him again without getting sick. I dry heave before my head is even over the toilet and everything that I had eaten this morning, which isn't much, comes out of me. I dry heave again and the bathroom door swings open. I glare at the person who walks in and I'm surprised to find that it's Dallas.

"Get out," I tell him just as I throw up again. In a fluid motion he roughly tugs my hair out of my face. I can smell the smoke from his cigarette that I'm sure is dangling out of his mouth. "Please put that out," I tell him through dry heaves

"Christ," he mutters as he throws the cigarette into the sink. I dry heave again but nothing comes out. I wipe my mouth and sit back on the floor. Dallas grabs a paper towel from the dispenser and runs it under the cold water from the sink. He hands it to me and I nod meekly at him.

I wipe my mouth with the paper towel and he pulls me to my feet. "Dallas you smell like cigarettes," I mumble and he smirks at me as I rinse my mouth out.

"Cigarettes always make you throw up?" Dallas asks and I shake my head.

"Not since I got pregnant," I explain to him and he nods his head.

"Too bad," he says before tugging on his Christopher medal again, "for me I guess." He says and I smile a little at him.

"Do you have any gum?" I ask him and Dallas fishes in his pockets.

"No, but I bet that nurse does." He says leading me out of the small bathroom. I linger behind Dallas watching him talk to the nurse. She looks at me sympathetically and pulls out a few sticks of gum for me from her purse.

"Come on," Dallas says nodding me back to the waiting room and I shake my head. "No one else is smoking," he tells me and I sigh feebly. I just want to go home now.

The Greaser that Dallas bummed the cigarette off gives me a look. His girl or his wife or whoever she was just stares at me. She has a real simple face, but for some reason it looks like she glowed. "Get some gingerale or ginger mints. It helps you to keep from feeling queasy."

"Oh thanks," I mutter and she smiles at me.

"Morning sickness passes, babe." She tells me and I glance up at her. "How far along are you?"

"Just three months," Dallas answers for me and I'm thankful that he decides to do the talking.

"Oh you poor thing," she says and Dallas shifts placing a protective arm on the back of my chair. "I promise you'll start feeling better or at least start getting used to it. Just keep your chin up, babe."

"Ruth, the doctor will see you now," the nurse at the station says and I stand up. Dallas hesitates for a moment and I look back at him.

"Please, Dal." I whisper and he gets up, following me close behind as we are escorted into an examination room.

The nurse gives me a gown to change into and I stare at Dallas. He's smirking at me and I do my best not to let him get under my skin. I didn't need to feel cruddier than I already am. "Can you just turn around?" I ask and Dallas sits down, stretching out his legs much like he did earlier. He's real cocky and it drives me up the wall.

"Ain't nothing I haven't seen before Dollface," he quips and I cross my arms over my chest.

"Like you remember anything. You were so shitfaced," I tell him before turning around and pulling off my shirt. I can feel his eyes burning into my back.

"I remember more than you know," he says and I cast a look over my shoulder at him. He eyes are tracing the lines that make up my slight curves and I pull the gown on over my pants.

"You're a pig," I let him know as I slip off my jeans.

"You love it," he teases. His eyes never lifting away from me.

I'm about to tell him just how much he bothers me when the doctor walks in. She's a tall woman with long black hair that's tied up on the top of her head. Her eyes are as black as coal and to be honest I have never seen someone more beautiful than her.

"Ruth," she says with a smile as she sits on the spinning stool in front of me. "I'm Dr. Opal," she says and I smile weakly. I felt a bit more comfortable with her. She looks over at Dallas and says, "You must be the daddy."

"Sure I guess," he says and I cast him a look.

"That's Dallas," I tell her and she nods looking over my file.

"So you're seventeen," she says and my cheeks heat up again. "You're a little bit young huh." She says before smiling up at me, "Ain't nothing you can't handle though."

She stands up and tells me lay back. I do and she starts feeling on my stomach. She keeps to herself while she's working, but she doesn't seem the least bit concerned. Another nurse walks into the room with some television like machine and I can feel the nerves in my stomach.

"Just an ultrasound Ruth. We're going to see if we can hear that baby's heartbeat," she tells me and I look at Dallas wishing he would stop fiddling with his medal and come over here and hold my hand.

"You can hear its heartbeat?" Dallas asks and Dr. Opal nods her head pulling up the gown to reveal my stomach. This would be the first time Dallas would see the baby bump since I had gotten real good at hiding it. He stares at it for a moment before turning away.

Dr. Opal squirts some cold jelly onto my stomach and I flinch. She chuckles and then flips on the television. The little piece that rolls against my stomach tickles just a tad bit and I stare at the screen. A weird watery sound comes out of the speakers and Dr. Opal grins at me. "That right there is your kid's heartbeat."

The sound is strange but it's enough for me to prop myself up on my elbows to see if I can get a better look. Dr. Opal points out the characteristics that makes up my baby and I smile, studying the little figure that's growing inside of me. "When do I know if it's a boy or a girl?" I ask and Dr. Opal chuckles at my eagerness.

"About three more months. So you're next checkup," she tells me and I look over at Dallas.

"Come and see," I tell him and he stands up but doesn't walk over to me. He looks a little spooked and I can't really tell what's exactly running through his mind.

"I'll meet you in the car," he tells me completely ignoring the screen and us entirely.

I stare at the closed door and then look at Dr. Opal. She smiles sympathetically and then goes back to finishing my checkup. She tells me that I need to eat more and worry less which I agree with.

"Also about Dallas," she begins once she's piled me down with pamphlets and what not. "Give him some time. A boy like that isn't going to be real excited about anything right away."

"I don't think he's ever going to be real excited about it," I tell her and Dr. Opal gives my shoulder a good squeeze.

"You'd be surprised." She tells me and I nod walking out of the room to make a new appoint for three months from today.

The nurse at the station is still real chipper and helpful as ever. "You're boyfriend already paid," she says and I shake my head.

"He's not my boyfriend." I tell her evenly as I take the reminder card for my next appointment from her hands. "Thanks," I say and she snaps her gum in response.

I figure that Dallas had gotten the hell out of here the way he walked out of the examination room, but there he was sitting on the hood of the t-bird and smoking another cigarette. There's a pack next to him and a ton of cigarette butts littering the ground around him. When he sees me he puts the cigarette out and then waves the smoke away from him.

"You ready Dollface?" he asks with less enthusiasm in his voice. He's bothered by all of this and I wonder if he would even make it through the next eighteen years. Perhaps he'll end up like his daddy after all.

I climb into the passenger seat of the t-bird and lean away from him since the smoke seems to linger on his clothes. We drive in silence, but unlike last time I can feel the impending pressure of something. At the red light at the end of Pickett I finally say something to him.

"Why are you so angry at me?" I ask and Dallas looks over at me. He eyes my stomach and then turns away.

"You know I didn't sign up for this," he tells me and my brows crinkle.

"Excuse me," I say and he looks over at me again. He waves towards my stomach and I roll my eyes.

"When I slept with you I didn't sign up for any of this. I didn't sign up for giving you half my winnings after a rodeo, I didn't sign up for driving you places, I didn't sign up for being your bodyguard against your parents, and I sure as hell didn't sign up to being a dad." He tells me and with each word his voice becomes more and more bitter.

"You think I wanted this Dallas? Do you think I eyed you at Buck's that night and thought 'Tonight's a good night to get shitfaced and get knocked up by some hood'?" I ask him. My voice isn't as angry as his, but I'm still pissed.

"I don't know what exactly you thought. I just know you didn't even consider the other options." He snaps and I shoot him such a glare that I'm surprised he doesn't keel over and die right there.

"Other options," the words are dry as they come out of my mouth and Dallas just barely glances at me. "Dallas there are no other options. If I'm bringing a kid into this world I'm going to raise it and I don't even want to think what the third option is."

"Third option ain't that bad," he mutters but I still heard him clear as day.

"If you want to go to some crock "doctor" and let them stick rusty and dirty tools into your body then go ahead and be my guest, but don't you ever bring that up to me again." I warn him hotly and he grips the steering wheel harder.

"You know what Dallas if you want out, say the word. Tell me that you don't want to be here and I won't hold nothing against you, but stop trying to play the victim card on me. Because you're not the one that's pregnant and has get fat and throw up all the time. You say you want out and you have a clean ticket. I don't have that. I get to live with the consequences of my mistake, you obviously do not." I tell him as he drives the T-bird closer to my aunt's street.

I pray to god that Aunt Jude isn't outside because she would probably give Dallas a real good piece of her mind if she heard the things he was saying.

"Then I want out," he says real low and dangerous and we stare at each other for a few brief moments.

"Stop the car," I tell him and Dallas pulls over willingly. He must think I'm going to get sick again but instead I just climb out of the passenger seat and slam the door shut.

"Goodbye Dallas," I say hotly over my shoulder to him and storm down the street. I can hear the T-Bird idle behind me but he doesn't pull away like I was sure he would.

The engine cuts out and I hear Dallas' door slam shut. He catches up to me in the matter of seconds and yanks me around to face him. "Do you want out or not?" I snap at him and Dallas just grabs my face. Forcefully his lips crash against mine and I attempt to shove him away but he's stronger.

I stand there not kissing him back but not exactly pulling away from him either. One of his hands is a forceful pressure on the back of my neck and the other keeps me in place on my lower back. He's finally able to break me down and slowly my arms wrap back around him and for a few moments I forget everything we were just arguing about.

He pulls away from me. A cocky grin spreading on his lips, "I don't want out." He tells me smoothly but I don't exactly believe him.

"Kissing me doesn't make me any less angry," I tell him and he just shrugs. "Dallas there isn't a doubt in my mind that you can be a father, but I do doubt that you're going to stick around long enough to do that."

"I don't know what I'm doing," he admits to me and I shrug my shoulders.

"I don't really know either," I say and Dallas takes a step away from me. I eye the hand that's missing the ring and sigh, "This doesn't change anything between us. I still don't want to date you, probably ever."

Dallas chuckles and eyes me up and down. "That's going to change," he says as he leads me back to the T-Bird.

"Only if you clean up your act," I say looking him dead in the eye. "I mean it. You can't be a daddy if you're in jail all the time."

Dallas rolls his eyes and starts the engine back up. "Yeah, we'll see." He says and I do my best not to grin.

"I guess we will."

* * *

_A/N: Do you think Dallas will be able to change his ways for Ruth or do you think she's waiting on the wrong boy? _This chapter makes Dallas a little OOC but i promise that this kiss didn't mean anything. There will be plenty of more fights and heartaches in the near future;).

Review Review Review.


	4. Chapter 4

There aren't a lot of places offering to hire, especially at the end of the summer. Although there is one place in my neighborhood that has had a help wanted sign in its window all summer. Lisa's Pet Store and Feed Supply is a little brown shop with dingy windows and smells like a stable. I sigh, standing outside the store and staring at the faded red letters that are painted on the windows. The only time I've been in the shop was when I was a little girl and Aunt Jude had a pet rabbit. Other than then and right now I never had an actual reason to be in the store.

The little bell above the door tingles when I walk inside and a blue parrot whistles. "Hello," he says with another whistle at me.

"Hello," I say back with a smile. The store isn't as bad looking on the inside as I remember it, but it is dusty and unorganized and I know that Aunt Jude would have a fit if she saw it now. I sneeze after running hands over the counter and kicking up some of the dust.

"Bless you," a middle aged woman with curly red hair says as she comes walking out from the backroom. "Sorry about the mess, but I just haven't had the help like I've had in the past."

I begin to tell her that it's not a big deal but the redheaded woman continues talking. "I mean I've ran this store by myself for almost thirty years and the older I get the more I seem to become more and more forgetful. It's frustrating and my poor shop has really gone downhill since when it first opened. You know I used to have the best kept pet shop in all of Tulsa? People from all over the town would come right here to buy their feed, but then those damn corporate run pet stores opened up and now look where I am."

"Oh, well I'm sorry – " I begin to say but she cuts me off again.

"But look at me telling you about all my problems. What can I get for you, hun?"

"Oh, I'm looking for a job," I timidly in fear that she'll start talking again.

The woman's big green eye light up and she drops the box she was carrying in excitement. "You're looking for a job?"

"Yes, ma'am," I say and she claps her hands together looking at the blue parrot.

"You hear that Loulou? This sweet girl came here to get a job!" She coos and the bird whistles back in excitement. "I'll tell you what you go get the apron in the backroom and start sweeping up."

"That's it? There's no interview or anything?" I ask and the woman looks surprised.

"Right an interview," she sits down on a stool behind the counter and then points to another stool for me to pull up. "Have you ever been to jail?"

"No ma'am," I say with a small smile because her happiness is just infectious.

"How old are you and what's your name?" She asks and the parrot Loulou flies onto her shoulder.

"Seventeen and my name is Ruth." I tell her as I eye the bird. "Ain't you afraid that the bird is going to fly away when the door opens?"

"Oh I've had Loulou for going on ten years. He ain't going nowhere." She takes a deep breath and thinks about another question to ask me. "You want to work part time? Considerin' you're seventeen and all I figure you're still in school."

"Well I'm a senior at Will Rodgers, so I guess part time for now. I figure it'll be fulltime sooner or later though." I tell her bitterly. The whole idea of dropping out my senior year is absolute bullshit because it's my last year, but by April I'll have a baby and how can I go to school, work, and take care of my kid.

"Why do you figure that?" She asks before leaning back a bit. "You ain't in any kind of trouble are ya?"

"No ma'am, well actually yeah but it's not like the trouble you're thinking about," I say and she leans back towards. "I'm pregnant and I figured that I would have to drop out."

"You're pregnant?" She gasps before leaning over the counter to get a good look at my stomach. "Lamb, you can't even tell!"

"I hope that doesn't complicate me getting the job," my voice is sheepish and she waves me off.

"You don't worry about that, Lamb. You could be a jailbird and I'd still probably hire you. Like I said I need the help," she tells me before standing up.

"I'm sorry," I say as I stand up as well, "but what was your name?"

"Oh I'm Lisa," she looks down at her red apron and frowns. "I could have sworn I was wearing my nametag. Oh well," she waves her hand for me to follow her, "you can start right now Lamb."

Lisa hands me a red apron off the hook in the back and then scribbles my name down on a disposable nametag. The backroom is just as messy as the shop itself and I sigh. It's going to take a lot to get this place back up and running like it's old self, but as long as one of us kept our heads maybe we could do it.

"Just sweep the shop, lord knows it needs a good clean," she tells me and I smile picking up the old broom. Its paint is chipping and I wonder just how long it has been since the broom has been used.

The shop is still set up like how I remembered it. The wooden floors have faded painted animal footprints that range from cat paws to horse hooves. On the left side of the store you can find all the pet needs. So items like food for dogs and cats and small critters, along with bedding and toys. There's a small like of tanks with different kinds of fish in the first three and then lizards in the last three. There's a cage of rabbits and a small incubator with a bunch of baby chicks. On the other side of the shop is where a customer can find tack, things like saddles and bridles run the right wall. There's also a long list of the different feed we have stacked up in the shed of the back of the store. So things are organized, it just looks like a tornado tore through.

I can get lost when I'm cleaning. Give me a broom, vacuum, feather duster, anything and I can clean for hours. It's a soothing technique for me and once I get started it's very hard for me to stop until whatever I'm cleaning is perfect. The dust and whatever else is on the floor is thick and causes Lisa and I to continue sneezing and coughing but it's a small price to pay.

Lisa's going over some paperwork and I watch her for a few minutes. Her stress level is visible in her greying hair and tensed shoulders. She looks up at me and I look away quickly going back to sweeping the floor.

It takes me only a few hours to perfectly sweep the floor in the front of the shop and in the back room. Lisa whistles and Loulou follows suit. "I forgot what this floor looked like."

I smile and tuck a loose piece of my hair behind my ear. I'm all sweaty, but the clean floor does make the shop look that much better.

"When should I come back?" I ask and Lisa smiles all big and bright.

"Lamb, I'll make you a schedule. You can come by tomorrow for it," she tells me and I nod.

"Thanks for the opportunity," I tell her and Lisa winks at me.

I'm starving, but thank god my best friend Bonnie live right around the block. All I had to do was show up at her house and tell her how hungry I was and she would drive us straight to the Dingo. Bonnie's known about my pregnancy since the day I found out and while I haven't asked her for help in the past few weeks I know she would have jumped at the opportunity to do anything for me.

I just walk into her house like I own it and her mom peeks her head out from the kitchen. "Well isn't it just my favorite girl? How you feeling hun?" She asks and I should've known that Ruth told her and I'm kind of glad she did.

"Just fine. I keep getting sick, but I'm fine," I say and Mrs. Carrow puts a hand on my cheek.

"Why are you all sweaty?" Mrs. Carrow asks with disgusted look and I chuckle.

"I got a job," I say explaining my afternoon to her and Mrs. Carrow laughs. She goes back to the kitchen and I find she's baking some cookies.

"It's going to take a lot of work to make that old pet shop look new again? You're sure you're up for the challenge? Mrs. Carrow asks before pointing to her stomach as a warning.

"I got it all taken care of Mrs. Carrow," I tell her even though I know she just has my best interest in mind. "I have to make money somehow."

"I know." She says and suddenly her voice is very sad. "Bonnie's in her room," she says and I nod hurrying down the hallway.

Bonnie is a spitfire. She barely comes up to my shoulders and has a set of very wide hips. Her dark brown hair is kept short and always tied back into a ponytail. She barrel races horses and teaches younger kids how to ride over the summer at the summer camps that the stables put on. We're completely opposite of each other, but I suppose that's why we get along so well.

"It's about time you came over," she exclaims when I walk through her bedroom door. She's lying on her bed with an ice pack pressed to her face.

"What happened?" I gasp when she lifts the back up to reveal a broken nose and two black eyes.

"That damn palomino at the stables happened," she grumbles before rolling off her bed to look at her face in the mirror. "He tossed his head back and wham! Broke my nose in front of all them little kids," she claps her hands together to add extra effect.

"Are you okay?" I ask and Bonnie glares at me through the mirror. "Okay, stupid question."

"Real stupid," she quips before putting the ice pack back on her nose. "So why'd you come by?"

I explain to her what happened in the past two weeks. How I told Dallas and how I moved into my Aunt Jude's house. I make sure she understands that the smell of cigarettes makes me sick since she's a real big smoker and then I tell her about my new job. She listens intently, nodding and saying things at all the right moments. Life would be an ugly place without my best friend. So I'm glad I have her.

"And you didn't think to call me after any of this?" She mumbles through the ice pack and I shrug.

"You're always working," I point out and she shrugs in return.

"Well I won't be anymore," she says pointing to her broken nose. "What are you going to do for school?" She asks suddenly very serious again.

"I guess just talk to the counselor once we start up again. It's the only thing I can do," I say and Bonnie nods but doesn't say anything more. She really didn't know what to tell me anymore, considering that this is the one thing she can't experience with me.

"I punch anyone that gives you a hard time about this at school," she tells me after a few moments of us just lying on her bed. I laugh and cover my face picturing the image in my head.

"I know you will," I say and my stomach growls rather loudly.

"That the baby?" Bonnie gasps sitting up too quickly and then swearing at the pressure she put on her nose.

"No, I'm starving. You want to go to the Dingo?" I ask and Bonnie cocks a brow at me.

"My face is broken," she tells me and I shrug my shoulders in response. "Fine," she snaps getting up because we can never say no to each other, "Let me get my damn shoes."

The Dingo is rather busy for it only being a Sunday evening, usually people were trying to nurse hangovers at this time. Bonnie nods her head to the black Bel-Air that's sitting in the front of the lot. Tim Shepard is here, which makes the night even stranger.

We're on guard when we walk into the Dingo because if Tim Shepard is here than trouble is probably close by. Bonnie claims a table by the door and I sit across from her in the booth. She doesn't seem the least bit self-conscious about her nose and I wish I felt the same way about my stomach.

"You seen Dallas at all this weekend?" Bonnie asks over the menu and I shake my head, deciding that I'm only in the mood for a burger and a cherry cola.

"Not since he kissed me," I say and Bonnie rolls her eyes. Her distaste for Dallas Winston us very apparent. "Besides I'm sure he went and got boozed up at Buck's to relieve the stress."

"Or jailed," Bonnie says and shrug in agreement.

"He's not my problem to worry about," I tell her as the waitress walks over to our table.

"Can we get two burgers with cheese, a cherry cola, a strawberry shake, and a basket of those fries please?" Bonnie asks, knowing my order by heart.

"Sure thing," the waitress says as she grabs our menus and goes back to the kitchen to put in our order.

Bonnie and I chat idly until the waitress brings us back our food. My burger is even more mouthwatering than I thought it would be. "The Dingo really does have the best burgers," I say before sipping on my cherry cola.

"You're tellin' me," Bonnie says as she presses her strawberry milkshake to her face.

"You look like'n idiot," I tell her but she doesn't care. Her face hurts too bad.

I watch Tim Shepard from behind Bonnie's head. Sylvia is sitting next to him, eating up every word he tells her. "Would you look at that?" I ask and Bonnie casts a glance behind her.

"Dallas must be jailed if Sylvia is slummin' with Tim Shepard," I whisper and Bonnie makes a face.

"Dallas could be down the street and Sylvia would be slummin' with Tim Shepard," Bonnie whispers back. "You know that girl doesn't have one honest bone in her body."

I sit back and smirk at my friend. She's right of course, but I would never say that out loud like she would.

Sylvia eyes me coolly and lick my lips trying to look anywhere but at her now. It's like she heard us talking about her. "She's coming over here," I mumble, doing my best not to move my lips.

"Well good," Bonnie says sitting up straighter and biting on her bottom. "Better she give you a hard time now than when you're super fat."

"Thanks," I say sarcastically and Bonnie gives me an apologetic look.

"I didn't mean it like that," she tells me quickly before adding, "be cool."

Sylvia doesn't even stop to say anything to me. She just breezes on buy with her chest sticking up so that Dallas' ring bounces on her chest. I make a face at Bonnie who snickers in response. Sylvia looks at me and then purposefully knocks my cherry cola into my lap.

"Whoops," Sylvia says with an evil grin. "Sorry," she says so unsympathetically that I imagine what it would be like to claw her eyes out.

I don't even have time to say anything to her because both she and Tim Shepard are already walking away.

"I didn't take you for the jealous type." Two-Bit says at the counter I didn't know that he was even here and Sylvia glares at him.

"I ain't jealous of that," Sylvia says pointedly and Two-Bit shrugs.

"You could've fooled me," he says with the biggest grin.

Sylvia glares at him and then grabs onto Tim Shepard's arm. "Mind your damn business Mathews," Shepard growls before the two of them duck out of the Dingo.

"God she is an idiot," Bonnie says as the waitress comes back with a handful of napkins and promising to bring me another cherry cola on the house. "She really is the dumbest person alive." Bonnie continues as she mops up the cherry cola from the table.

"Don't you know it," Two-Bit says as he sits next to me in the booth. "The girl is dumber than a sack of bricks."

"Hi Two-Bit," I say feebly as he grabs one of the french-fries out of the basket. "Steve," I say a little caught off guard because I hadn't noticed him either.

"Can we help you two?" Bonnie asks annoyed that their eating our fries.

"These are Dallas' friends," I say and Bonnie makes a face. As Two-Bit grabs another handful just to spite her.

"Charming," she says before moving her burger away from Steve.

"Dallas get hauled in?" I ask looking at Two-Bit and he nods his head.

"He got into a big ol'drunk fight with Buck," Two-Bit says. "Dallas was beating the tar out of him so Buck had someone call the cops."

"Didn't know Buck played games like that," Bonnie says sarcastically even though I know she did. There had been plenty of times he tried to get her to ride in the rodeos for him but she always refused. So since Bonnie wouldn't ride for Buck he tried to sabotage her each time they were at the same rodeo.

"How long 'til he's out?" I ask trying my best not to sound the least bit concerned about him.

"'Till tomorrow," Steve says picking at another french-fry. "He was hauled in Tuesday night."

"Right after my appointment. He was just lookin' to blow off some steam," I say and Two-Bit nudges me playfully in my ribs.

"Well I think that should be strike one," Bonnie says as she picks up the basket of fries and moves it to the other side of the table so that the boys can't get it.

"You can't expect him to change overnight," I say defensively and I cringe a bit. Who would of thought I would ever be defending Dallas Winston.

"Why, you did," Bonnie point out and I shake my head.

"No, I just did all the things I should've done at the beginning of the summer," I give her a pointed look and she drops it.

"Anyways," Two-Bit says after a few moments of awkward silence. "One of us usually pick up Dallas, but we're all busy so we were wondering if you would."

"Really?" I ask looking at the two boys.

"Really." Two-Bit says but by the stupid grin on his face I can tell he's not telling the truth.

"You sure this ain't a ploy to get Dallas and me to spend more time together?" I ask and Two-Bit looks at Steve before the two of them quickly shake their head no.

"We promise that both of us are busy," Two-Bit says and I roll my eyes.

"You two are liars, but I'll pick him up. I need to talk to him anyways," I say before finishing off my burger.

* * *

_A/N: There's a lot of changes happening for Ruth, some good and some bad. What should be her next plan of attack? Should she be worried about Sylvia or do you think a talk with Dallas will square it all away?_

_Review. Review. Review._

_Thanks for much for the wonderful feedback. I love you!_


	5. Chapter 5

A/n: Heres the real chapter! Sorry for the mix up!

* * *

The jail parking lot is not exactly how I wanted to spend my Monday afternoon, but I promised Steve and Two-Bit that I would be here to pick up Dallas. I'm not angry that they asked me to come and get him, but I am angry that I have to pick him up from here. The jail parking lot is crawling with low lives. Everything from hung-over men to women dressed in not so conservative outfits. Protectively I place my hand over my stomach and stare straight ahead, waiting for Dallas to take the corner into the lot.

In the car next to mine sits a woman a little bit older than me. Her face is healing from bruises and I cringe when a drunken man approaches her passenger side door. She flinches away from him and I feel as if I have a sudden glimpse into my future. Because, while Dallas may never hit me, I'm not totally sure I'll end up with Dallas anyways. I mean, my mother didn't end up with my father. Who's to say that my story isn't going to be any different?

Dallas appears at the end of the parking lot and I watch him as he studies the cars. He doesn't recognize my Aunt Jude's truck and I smile for a brief moment. His hair is cut short from seeing the judge and he has a busted lip and a shadowing bruise on his jaw. I assume it's from him bad mouthing the cops while he was in there. I honk the horn in the truck three times for Dallas' attention. Everyone else in the lot looks at me too and I feel a blush rise in my cheeks.

Dallas stares at the truck coolly and I climb out knowing he's not coming anywhere near here until he knows who's picking him up. "Come on Jailbird!" I yell across the lot and I watch him lock his jaw in annoyance. I snicker and climb back into the car.

"What are you doing here, Dollface?" Dallas asks as he leans against the driver's door. I study his injuries closer now and bite my lip to stop myself from saying anything about them.

"Your buddies asked me to pick you up." I attempt to keep voice nonchalant in an attempt to mask my excitement in seeing him.

"Good deal," he says as he looks down at the plastic bag in his hands. Inside is his Cristopher's medal, a pack of cigarettes, and some matches. He takes the medal out first, pacing is around his neck easily and then he shoves the cigarettes and matches into his pocket. I'm sure he's itching to smoke one, but since he's around me he won't. I bite my lip to suppress my smile.

"You gonna get in the truck?" I ask and Dallas leans closer into the open window.

"Let me drive," he says and I shake my head. "Come on, Dollface."

"No way. My aunt will murder if I let you drive her truck," I say and Dallas rolls his eyes. "Just get in the car Dallas." I continue after a few moments of him not budging.

"Fine," he growls. He walks around the truck with a cocky gait and I roll my eyes, leaning over to unlock the door. Once he climbs in he looks over at me and then my stomach. "How's the kid?"

"The kid's fine." I say awkwardly and he nods his head. "Where do you want me to take you?"

He thinks about it for a moment before looking over at me, "You hungry?"

"I'm always hungry," I tell him and he smirks, eyeing my stomach again.

"Let's go to the Dingo." He says and I nod, putting the truck into gear.

The Dingo makes me think of Sylvia knocking my drink into my lap last time I was there with Bonnie and I cringe. Sylvia had been slumming with Tim Shepard while Dally was in jail. I should tell him exactly what I saw, but I'm terrified.

"Dallas?" I say and he looks over at me. "I was at the Dingo a few days ago and I saw something."

"I ain't in the mood for you to beat around the bush," Dallas tells me and I sigh. I chew on the inside of my cheek for a few seconds to gain the courage.

"I saw Sylvia with Tim Shepard. The two looked pretty cozy in one of the booths," I leave out the fact that she knocked my drink into my lap because I'm sure Dallas wouldn't have cared anyways.

Dallas doesn't say anything, but I know he's heard me because he's clutching his fists causing his knuckles to become white. When I pull into the lot at the Dingo I'm not happy to find Tim Shepard's Bel-Air in the lot. Dallas on the other hand, looks ecstatic.

He jumps out of the truck before I even park. I watch him walk over to the Bel-Air coolly and I bite my lip. I park the truck and then approach Dallas cautiously. "Dallas?" I whisper and he looks over at me. A wicked grin appearing on his face.

"Give me your keys." He tells me and I put them behind my back quickly. His jaw locks and for a moment he towers over me before reaching around and grabbing them right out of my hands.

"Dallas, stop." I say looking into the Dingo and seeing that Tim Shepard is right there. He's watching us curiously, a stony expression on his face. Sylvia is right next to him, doing her best to wriggle out of his arms before Dallas sees.

"Come on," I say tugging on the sleeve of his leather jacket. "He's looking right at you, Dallas." I tell him and Dallas glances back at the window.

He chuckles and then looks at me. "You stay back," he tells me before pushing me gently to the side.

He walks straight towards Shepard's car and I watch Shepard through the window. He jumps up, pushing Sylvia off him and then hurries out of the diner. By the time he gets outside it's too late. Dallas has already made a good deep scratch around the black paint. Dallas is standing there with a smile on his face. Boy is he ready for a fight.

* * *

It took four of Tim's boys to get Dallas and Tim off each other. We can hear the wailing of the cops somewhere in the distance and once Dallas is pushed to the side I hurry over to him. My keys are tucked safely into his pants pockets and I pull them out smoothly.

Dallas' face was bruised before, but now he looks like a big mess. He lunges for Tim Shepard again, but I stand in front of him, my hand placed solidly on the middle of his chest. "If we don't get out of here, you're going to get jailed again."

He doesn't start moving until I begin to push him backwards. I glance behind me and see Sylvia, hovering around Tim Shepard. Dallas begins to push past me again, but I grab onto his bloodied t-shirt.

"Look at me," I tell him and he glances down towards me. The sirens are getting louder now and if we don't leave we're all probably going to get hauled in. "Don't get jailed again for her. She isn't worth your time Dallas."

"Come on," I say pulling him towards the truck now and this time he follows willingly.

Dallas' lip is split open and the way he's pressing on his chest I can tell he has broken or badly bruised ribs. I know I can't take him back to my Aunt's house like this because she'll have a fit. At the stop light I mull over my options, watching the Bel-Air behind me as the cop car heading for the Dingo zips past.

"The Curtis house," Dallas finally groans and I look over at him. He's bleeding into his hands and I fish around the middle console for some napkins. When I finally find some I hand them to him and surprisingly he takes them.

I pull in front of the Curtis house after taking some dodgy directions from Dallas. I climb out of the truck and then hover around the passenger side to help Dallas. He slings his arm over my shoulders and cautiously I wrap my arm around his mid-section. He cringes and I apologize quietly.

I knock on the front door and Dallas rolls his eyes, pulling open the screen door and then the front door. "You don't knock here." He tells me as he lets me go and then collapses onto the couch.

I walk around the house, looking for one of Dallas' buddies but no one seems to be here. I decide that I can't just let Dallas bleed all over the place so I look for a first aid kit in the bathroom. There isn't much inside of it, but I'm sure I can make it work.

I kneel in front of Dallas and pull a few tissues out of the box on the coffee table. I move to dab his busted lip, but Dallas pushes my hand away from him. "Don't fucking touch me," he warns and I roll my eyes.

I ignore him and start on the cut above his eyebrow instead. ". Don't you have anyone else to piss off right now?"

"No," I tell him. I put some more pressure on his eyebrow and he glares at me.

"I don't need you." He tells me forcefully, but I continue to ignore him. "Fuck, Ruth. Leave me the hell alone!"

"Cut the tough guy act." I tell him and he pushes my hands away again. He sits up and groans at the pain that mush shoot through his ribs.

"What's you're fucking deal?" He asks me with a solid hold on my wrist. It's not painful, just annoying that he's holding onto me like this.

"My deal?" I ask calmly and Dallas stares at me angrily. "Why can't you just let me help you?"

"I don't need your help," he spits and I roll my eyes.

"Everybody needs someone to take care of them at least once, Dallas." My voice is gentle and his grip on my wrist loosens a bit. "I won't tell anyone that a tough hood like you let a girl clean up his minor wounds."

"If I let you do this, will you leave me alone?" He asks and I nod my head. He lets go of my wrist and then allows me to continue.

It's relatively easy to get the bleeding to stop, but I'm not sure what to do about his ribs. "They're not broken," he groans after a few moments. "I've had enough broken ribs to know what they feel like."

"Do you want an aspirin?" I ask and Dallas shakes his head. "Are you sure?" I question and he opens one of his eyes to look at me.

"Stop bugging me," he says and I look down at my feet.

"Right. Sorry." I say and he closes that one eye again. "Do you want me to leave?"

"I want you to leave me alone." He tells me and I take that as my cue to go home. "You can stay here though. If you want."

"Do you want me to?" I ask and he opens both of his eyes this time.

"I don't know." He says and I nod, deciding that I should just stay, at least until one of his friends get here.

We sit in silence for a few moments before I say. "I got a job." He grunts in return and I smile, knowing that I'm not supposed to be talking.

"Dallas, I don't know what else I'm supposed to do." I finally say, since I don't know who else to tell this to. "I don't want to be my mother, but I feel like I'm already in the same place she is."

"You're nothing like your mother." Dallas tells me. His eyes still closed and his chest rising and falling gently. "But if it makes you feel better. I don't know what I'm supposed to do either."

"Our kid's going to be a mess." I say and Dallas peeks at me. "I mean it Dallas. You can barely take care of yourself and I'm just a nervous wreck about the whole thing. I don't know how to take care of a baby."

"You're going to be fine, Dollface." Dallas says easily, like this whole thing doesn't even bother him. "I would be worried if it was anyone else, but since it's you I'm not."

"Why?" I ask and Dallas groans sitting up so that he can look at me.

"I don't know." He tells me truthfully and for the first time I finally see some sincerity in Dallas Winston's eyes. "You worry too much." He tells me finally and I sigh.

"One of us has to," I say and Dallas rolls his eyes.

"You don't think this whole thing doesn't make me a little nervous?" Dallas asks and I shake my head. "Well I sure got you fooled, huh?" He asks and I lick my lips.

Dallas and I are just inches away from each other and he's about to tell me something else when the front door swings open. Two-Bit strolls in and I jump away from Dallas.

"Did I just walk in on something?" He asks with a laugh and I shake my head.

"No," I say too quickly and Dallas lays back down. His sincerity gone and his wall back up.

"Well I heard about a pretty good fight back at the Dingo." Two-Bit says as he looks at Dallas. "I can't believe your girl here got you away from a fight."

I'm about to protest about being Dallas' girl and about pulling him away from the fight. Since I did neither, but Dallas speaks before I can say anything. "Yeah, she's pretty tough." Dallas says with small smirk towards me and I look down at my shoes.

If Dallas thinks I'm tough, than maybe I can handle things a bit better than I initially had thought.

* * *

_A/N: Dallas is really OOC here, but I don't care. I like the way he treats Ruth. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter. Sorry for the wait!_

_Let me know what you think!_


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